by Herbert W. Armstrong

There are many levels of government in the United States. There is municipal city
government, county government, state government and federal government.

God Almighty, whose Church we are, has been sued by the government of the state of
California through the attorney general’s office, in a civil lawsuit. That is, His
Church has been sued – and since it BELONGS to God and is called by His name, the
state government is actually suing God Almighty.

Since Jesus Christ is the living and guiding HEAD of God’s Church, the State is suing
God Almighty.

Since Jesus Christ is the living and guiding HEAD of God’s Church, the State is suing
Jesus Christ. As Christ’s chosen apostle, the state government is suing me, and as
treasurer of God’s Church they are suing Stanley R. Rader.

Screaming page-wide frontpage newspaper headlines blared forth that Mr. Rader and
I had been alleged to have siphoned off millions of dollars every year for our own
accounts and benefit. But no such charge was made in the lawsuit. Instead, the attorney
general claimed that the state government actually owned, and should direct, guide
and manage all churches in California. An exjudge was appointed, secretly in a Superior
Court judge’s private chambers as receiver of God’s Church.

Yes, after almost a year and a half – still UNBELIEVABLE! Nothing like it had ever
happened in this land of the FREE and home of the BRAVE!

Now nearly all the large churches of the United States are behind us, giving legal
assistance in this lawsuit. They know this is a TEST CASE. If we fall, they will fall.

God’s Church did not cave in. We did not fight back in the sense of attacking the
State, but we did effectively DEFEND ourselves.

On the very first day, Jan. 3, last year, the receiver “fired” me, Mr. Rader and the
entire board. He claimed he was running the Church from here on and would decide all
policies, doctrines to be believed, type of services and all activities.

But God had foreseen it all and had moved me to a home in Tucson, Ariz. The RECEIVER
stopped my first letter to ministers and members asking for special funds for defense
at the Pasadena post office. But I immediately wrote another letter that was mailed
from another post office, directing all tithes and offerings sent to me, here. GOD’S
CHURCH NEVER STOPPED OPERATING. The Work continued to GROW!

But the names of God’s apostle and treasurer had been blackened by false witnesses,
just as that of Jesus was by false witnesses.

And so another level of government started its own independent investigation into
the false allegations against Mr. Rader and me, and against general mismanagement
of the Church and Work. This government office has been investigating us for some
time. A few days ago, at my invitation, two official investigators came to Tucson
for a talk with me in my home. They had talked personally with the false accusers.
They had checked out records – everything. They told me their investigation was now
almost finished. We will, I am certain, be totally exonerated of any wrongdoing.

But I was especially interested in one question they asked me. Since we operate on
the biblical hierarchical form of government, from the top down, and I am responsible
for making policies, establishing procedures, doctrines, etc., WHAT IS MY DECISION-MAKING
PROCESS?

I was glad to answer that!

First, Jesus Christ is living HEAD of the Church and Work. He is the WORD of God in
Person, and the Bible is the same Word in print. I follow His teachings and ways.
I pray constantly for leading and guidance, I follow biblical teaching and examples,
I follow the biblical admonition, “In a multitude of counselors there is wisdom.”
On various problems I counsel with our leading ministers best qualified in the area
of the problem for counsel. On all major policies or decisions, I call a board meeting,
and we counsel together. When we are all unanimous – because we seek not our own ideas
or wills, but God’s – a motion is made and the vote is unanimous. The final decision,
it is true, is mine – but in all meetings of such problems or decisions we have all
been unanimous. The motion is not put until we are.

Thus we follow the biblical teaching that we must all speak the same thing, avoiding
disharmony and division. Some who have been SELF-willed, controversial, causing division
in the Church have been excommunicated. That was true of the malcontent exmembers
who brought the false allegations – and the attorney general’s office acted on their
false allegations without a shred of evidence!